Lwów Oath

Almost the whole country followed suit, with the Swedes entering Warsaw unopposed in August 1655 and John Casimir fleeing to Silesia, where he took refuge in the town of Oberglogau (Polish: Głogówek) staying there in a local castle from October 17, 1655 until December 18 of the same year.

The defense of Jasna Góra galvanized Polish resistance against the Swedes, as aggression on that place, perceived by Catholic Poles as the most holy sanctuary, created massive anti-Swedish sentiments.

The uprisings soon merged under the leadership of Polish military leaders Stefan Czarniecki and Grand Hetman of Lithuania Paweł Jan Sapieha, who started organized counterattacks in order to eliminate those loyal to Charles Gustav.

Thus two main issues raised by the king in the vows were primarily - a necessity to protect the Catholic faith, seen as endangered by the Lutheran (and to some point Orthodox) aggressors, secondly - to manifest the will to improve the peasantry's condition.

On 1 April 1656, during a holy mass in Lwów's Cathedral conducted by the papal legate Pietro Vidoni, John Casimir, in a grandiose and elaborate ceremony, entrusted the Commonwealth to the Blessed Virgin Mary's protection, whom he announced as The Queen of the Polish Crown and other of his countries.